Tonight's picture was taken in May of 2007. We took Mattie to Pennsylvania to experience Dutch Country. While there, we came across a train museum. Mattie LOVED anything with wheels and locomotion. While walking around the museum, there was a TV monitor that captured you as you were walking by. Mattie loved seeing himself and Peter on TV. So naturally I had to snap a photo of the TV monitor! Who knows why I was so picture happy, but I was, and now I am grateful I captured the special moments as well as daily life with Mattie.
Quote of the day: If you want happiness for an hour, take a nap. If you want happiness for a day, go fishing. If you want happiness for a year, inherit a fortune. If you want happiness for a lifetime, help somebody. ~ Chinese Proverb
Today while walking Sunny by the Potomac River, a young man was jogging passed us. Considering it was a broiling hot and humid day, his activity and speed caught my attention. Again, just like the young girl, what I initially observed in this fellow was from the waist up. Yet as he continued passed me, I looked down at his feet, and there was the J shaped prosthetic.
The J shaped prosthetic is comprised of carbon fiber and it is considered a running foot, an ideal choice for runners. This type of foot is compressed by body weight and returns to its original shape as you push off of it. The result of this compression and decompression of the blade is that energy is released as you push off allowing you to run more efficiently by minimizing the amount of energy you need to expend.
Why am I mentioning this? Mainly because when seeing these individuals my first reaction was..... are they cancer survivors? Specifically an osteosarcoma survivor, the same disease that took Mattie's life. I wish I had the opportunity to talk to both of them. Clearly there are a host of other reasons why someone may need a prosthetic, but at the time, the only thing I could think of was osteosarcoma. This is how I see the world now as cancer and non-cancer.
In both cases, no one else around me was looking at these individuals with the J shaped prosthetic. Which perplexed me. Mainly because when Mattie was battling cancer, we got NON-STOP looks from just about everyone in public! As if they feared they were going to contract some sort of contagion from Mattie. Regardless of how well functioning these individuals appear to be in public, I know that there is a psychosocial story behind their medical experiences and living life without a limb.
Prior to Mattie getting cancer, I am not sure seeing these individuals would have intrigued me as much as it does now. I truly believe that seeing Mattie struggle with cancer, has enabled me to see beyond the exterior facade of people, such as the prosthetics. Instead my interest becomes trying to understand the psychological ramifications of having a disease or looking different as a result of treatment.
The point is I have a feeling the majority of the world looks at the J shaped foot and says either.... wow isn't it incredible how this person uses this prosthetic, or how sad this person no longer has a leg. Neither of these things would cross my mind anyone, because ultimately I am more curious about the psychosocial impact, feelings, and thoughts that have arisen for these individuals because of their life's circumstances.
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